From Betrayal to Joy - The Novella

Wanda whispered encouragements to Penelope. Their bandeaus joined their blouses. Wanda bent and nuzzled each of Penelope's pert breasts in turn. She encouraged the dark-haired woman to reciprocate. Rupert and Eric continued to watch as Penelope completely submitted to the charms of the former warrior. Wanda hiked up Penelope's skirt and pulled aside her step-ins. Exposed was the sable pelt of intimacy that technically belonged to Eric. Penelope left out a soft moan as Wanda's well practiced mouth, tongue, and, teeth sought the knot of nerves that was the key to feminine pleasure.

In no time at all the former soldier had struck pay dirt. Penelope squirmed with delight, emitted sibilant sounds of delight and exploded all over Wanda's face. The red-haired woman delightfully licked up Penelope's juices.

There was long pause while each woman embraced the other. Then, as Wanda slowly instructed Penelope the shorter, dark-haired woman began kissing the length of Wanda's body until her mouth was centered over the scarlet thatch of her womanhood. Wanda was delighted to discover that Penelope was a fast and diligent learner. It had been so long since she had shared intimacies with such a responsive woman. As Wanda loudly orgasmed, Eric and Rupert began divesting themselves of their clothes. Wordlessly, the naked men slid into bed and embraced their half-clad wives. While each woman was still savoring their sapphic pleasure, their husbands' arms entwined about them and they began planting gentle kisses over their wives faces and anatomy. Scarcely a half hour after the women had enjoyed each other their men had planted their seed deep within their wombs. For the next several hours, silence reigned in the ornate bedroom. The frenzied breathing of the quartet ebbed to gentle and deep respirations. A very long time later, Eric assisted his Penelope in re-donning and straightening her clothing. Rupert performed the same niceties for his own bride. Over drinks the quartet wordlessly contemplated what had just transpired. It was quite late before Eric and Penelope exited the lavish royal suite and returned to their own lodgings.

Once they had departed, Rupert made love to Wanda anew. He reveled in the wonder that was his surprising, unconventional bride. In the morning, the new husband and wife had a very frank and wide-ranging conversation. To the kingdom, it was quite surprising that Eric and Penelope, a pair of mere commoners, had been elevated to positions of great intimacy. Penelope was installed as a new lady-in-waiting to the beautiful young queen, while Eric became a chamberlain. But then again, the new queen had brought so many changes to the kingdom that the surprise soon muted.

Though the threat of Sisterhood vengeance never completely evaporated, they seemed to lose steam once Wanda delivered a son and heir. To the Sisterhood, the humiliation of one of their own settled in domesticity and actually breeding was profound. Killing her after the fact would only sour public opinion and diminish the number of female foundlings that were left in their charge. Even so, Wanda continued to make use of royal food tasters and her cadre of guards were never less than vigilant. In time, Wanda blessed Rupert with three more children. The king was an understanding husband always. He knew that his bride would, from time to time, require an occasional female touch. Penelope served in that role for many years before others took her place. For the rest of her days, Wanda/Angel was happier than she had ever imagined possible.

Eventually, she suffered the agonizing pain of widowhood. The grief, at first, was so intense, Wanda was sure she would pass away immediately. But there were state funerals to attend, rituals to follow, and public mourning that somehow eased the pain. She thought back to her days in the Sisterhood. Though she had been inducted into the state church, the rituals and prayers of childhood gave her solace. She was still, in so many ways, an alien amidst strangers. As queen mother, she was viewed as the "nation's granny." That she was such a well-preserved granny that she could still lure women young enough to be her granddaughters into her bed, went unmentioned by the very few who knew. When she at last passed away the nation mourned as it never had; not even when Rupert had died. On a fair and sunny day, not unlike that which had first brought her to her late husband's attention, her casket joined Rupert's in the royal crypt, upon the third finger of her left hand, the ring she had worn so long ago when she had been given away and her adventure had begun.